


patience

by TrainRush



Series: Febuwhump 2021 [10]
Category: A Hat in Time (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Misunderstandings, Pre-Canon, References to Illness, Regret, takes place around award 50 or so
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 05:20:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29345001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrainRush/pseuds/TrainRush
Summary: DAY 10: “i’m sorry. i didn’t know”DJ Grooves’s patience had run dry that day. How unlucky.—(or, alternatively, DJ Grooves snaps on the Conductor at the worst possible time.)
Relationships: The Conductor & DJ Grooves (A Hat in Time)
Series: Febuwhump 2021 [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2105115
Comments: 4
Kudos: 18





	patience

The day had been loud and busy, and somehow it had only just now begun to settle down. Late in the afternoon, perhaps around 6 or so, the studio began to fall from the noisy mess it had been during the day. Although DJ Grooves typically enjoyed the abundance of movement, music, and voices, today had been different; something in him had fallen away, and he just wasn’t quite _there._ Of course, he was there physically, but mentally all he wanted was to be away. Why, though, he wasn’t sure. Was this burnout? Was it just exhaustion? Had his mental health finally caught up with him?

He sighed, stretching a little as he rose from his director’s chair. The day’s filming had just finished, which meant that he should have been off to the basement to sort out some paperwork. However, Grooves was tired and in the mood to procrastinate some, so he instead decided to take a small walk. Hoping that it would clear his mind of the negativity currently clouding it, Grooves began to stroll to the elevator.

Although he had barely even gone near the border, he could hear the Conductor yelling from the other side of the studio loud and clear. Today, the sound was like sandpaper to his consciousness, and he winced, hissing in a bit of anger as he sped up his steps. Sure, on most days he could deal with the Conductor’s hot-headedness and explosive anger, but he’d already had enough. There was no longer any room for patience in his mind. Maybe that was what had brought on his bad mood, he wondered. Had his patience simply… run out?

DJ Grooves had thought himself to be a very patient person. And he was. Every day, he stood up to and dealt with everything that the Conductor threw at him. Insults, name-calling, and sometimes even physical objects. No matter what it was, Grooves took it on, doing his best to calmly deflect everything. He knew that everything the Conductor said was baseless, so he couldn’t be bothered to argue. Nor could he be bothered to throw insults back at him or anything similar. Never insults; he knew that deep down, the Conductor was a good person. He didn’t deserve to be insulted. Maybe a little bit of criticism here and there, but never name-calling or anything even remotely similar. Perhaps that was why DJ Grooves extended his patience when around him.

He sighed. Today just wasn’t _it,_ was it?

As he reached the elevator, he extended a flipper to press the button when a claw swatted his hand back and pushed the button before him, pressing it into the wall just a little _too_ hard.

DJ Grooves took a measured breath. “Conductor.”

The Conductor simply grumbled in reply, walking past him to get in the elevator.

Doing his best to contain himself, Grooves walked onto the elevator as calmly as he could and stood on the opposite side. As the doors closed, he wondered whether he should have taken a different elevator.

Slowly, the elevator began to descend, and the two birds stood in tense yet awkward silence.

Grooves took a moment deciding on what to say to break the unbearable silence. He could try and make small talk. Ask about how the Conductor's life had been. Eventually, he came upon a topic, and he hesitantly spoke.

“So-“

“Shut up.”

DJ Grooves flinched, recoiling a bit at the sharp reply from the other. He turned around indignantly. “Excuse me?”

“I said shut up. I don’t want to talk.”

His impatience leaked from him. He pulled his coat closer. “If you’re in a bad mood, _darling,_ then just say so. There’s no need to be so rude about it.”

“What’re ye expecting me to say? ‘Quiet?’ I’m sure that’d be rude to you too.”

“And you’re right, it is! Well done at recognizing that. Would you like a gold star?” Something had snapped inside him. He no longer cared about being polite or making small talk. 

The Conductor looked at him wildly, shocked and offended. “Why you-!”

“I shouldn’t be needing to teach you basic communication and decency, _Conductor._ Who on earth do you think you are?”

Something that looked a little bit like hurt flashed across the Conductor’s face. It took a moment for him to recover. “Awfully surprising hearing this come from you, _Grooves.”_

“Me?” Grooves almost laughed with bitterness. “What about me? Seriously, _what about me?_ I have had _nothing_ but patience for you, Conductor. I haven’t given you anything _but_ my own _kindness and compassion._ Not even just out of sympathy, but from my own heart. What have you given me? What have you _communicated_ to me? Nothing. Nothing but pettiness and anger.”

Facing DJ Grooves, the Conductor took a step back into the wall, shocked by this sudden change of face. “I-“

 _“You-_ you _what?_ You think I deserve it? You think I deserve all of that?”

The Conductor went quiet now, looking away.

“You can’t honestly think that I deserve to sit through all of that every single _pecking day of my life!_ Who do you take me for? A monster? Do you perceive me as some kind of monster? Is that it?” 

Again, the Conductor was silent. He almost seemed to shrink into himself.

“You have been nothing but awful to me. I try so hard every day to reach out to you, and I’m met with nothing but cruelty and snide remarks.” He paused, catching his breath before returning with a fresh wave of anger. “And _you._ You do this to _everyone_ you meet. And for what? What did your actors do to you? What did your advisors do to you? You won’t make any stable relationships like this. Much less any friendships.”

The Conductor had gone dead silent now, bowing his head and folding his arms around him.

“They don’t deserve that. _I_ don’t deserve that. And if you don’t sort out your shit soon, you’re going to end up completely _alone.”_

DJ Grooves regretted that phrase almost as soon as it left his mouth, and he stopped immediately, shrinking in on himself in regret. He let the pause run its course, preparing what he was going to say next in his mind. But just as he opened his mouth to start speaking again, a lone sound was carried from the Conductor. It took him a moment to identify it.

A sniffle.

He folded in on himself a little when he realized. Oh, god, the Conductor was _crying._

“Conductor?” he spoke quietly, all his previous hostility gone from his voice.

All he got in response was a small choked sound.

“Hang on— hey…”

Racked with guilt, he approached the Conductor as gently as possible. The latter only sobbed harder.

The Conductor shouldn’t have reacted this harshly.

He’d snapped on him before, but this had never happened.

It clicked. 

“Did something happen?”

The Conductor froze a little before sobbing out something that sounded like a wail.

“Hey…”

Slowly, DJ Grooves approached and embraced the Conductor, who froze up under him before breaking down into sobs.

His cries subsided slowly, and eventually all that remained of the Conductor’s breakdown was a ruffled, wet mess of feathers on his face. Breaking away to fix the feathers on his face, the latter refused to look Grooves in the eye.

“You don’t have to tell me, but…”

The Conductor nodded. Shakily, he began, “I got a call earlier.” He took a breath. “My daughter— they had to take her into the hospital.” Grooves’s eyes widened, feeling the cold realization of what he’d just done settle upon him. The Conductor continued. “She’s fallen ill. They don’t know what it is. They don’t know—“ he paused, “—they don’t know if she’ll survive.”

At the last word, his voice broke off, and DJ Grooves extended his arms out to him again. This time, the Conductor stepped into the hug.

“My god,” Grooves whispered. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

“I don’t blame you.” The Conductor shrugged, although still clearly on edge. “I can be a bit of a, ah, peck neck when I’m upset.”

“No, I should have realized— I’m so sorry—“

“Really, I don’t blame you.”

At long last, the elevator doors opened. The Conductor broke from the hug, stepping out onto the threshold. As he did, he flashed a smile that said everything it needed to. It was weak and carried heavy emotion. It communicated the feeling that even though he didn’t blame Grooves for what he had said, those words would still stick with him and haunt him.

“...Do you have anywhere to be?”

DJ Grooves gaped, completely having forgotten what he’d even boarded the elevator to do in the first place. “Oh, I think I forgot to press the button for my floor.”

The Conductor nodded, his smile fading slightly. He turned to leave, but paused as Grooves spoke again.

“I hope things clear up for you. ...And for your daughter.”

The Conductor turned back around, offering that weak smile once again. “Aye, I hope it does too.”

With that, he turned and left, and the elevator doors closed.

DJ Grooves took a couple steps back, leaning against the elevator wall. Taking a deep breath, he put his head in his hands and sighed. Immense regret flooded him, and he took off his glasses to rub his face.

What was he supposed to do now?

He glanced at the rows of buttons on the elevator wall. In truthfulness, he had never forgotten to put in his floor. He and the Conductor had just been getting off at the same one. But how could he get off that elevator with the Conductor after what he had said? Sure, most of it was justified, but… not today. Not while the Conductor was worrying over his daughter’s life.

DJ Grooves winced. What had he done?


End file.
